This course aims to revisit the history of human presence on Earth, from its origins to the present day, with a central focus on the relationships between populations, resources, and modes of production.
This long-term perspective, spanning the last hundred thousand years, highlights key transformations in human history, such as the cognitive, agricultural, and industrial revolutions. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the sustainability of human societal development and the relationship between humans and their environment. Has there been a period when humans evolved in harmony with their environment? What are the main dynamics of human history? What are the consequences of human development and demographic transition on the environment and biodiversity? What is the Anthropocene and its underlying realities?
Beyond the historical analysis it offers, this course aims to think and analyze the cartographic representations of the historical phenomena discussed. It provides an opportunity to learn how to describe a map and to develop tools for thinking and imagining new representations of the transformations that have profoundly reshaped humanity.